Audio
Michael Harrington
Religion in the News Editor
A good news, bad news poll from the United Kingdom
A good news, bad news poll from the United Kingdom
VERBATIM: The YouGov survey finds the number of young people in Britain who believe in a higher power has surged. Four years ago just 16% believed — now it’s 37%. The BAD news is that 37% is still awfully low and it’s worth noting that the question posed to British people ages 16-to-24 was “Do you believe there is a God OR GODS” — which suggests that some percentage of those who said YES don’t actually have faith in the God of the Bible. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadPlanned Parenthood is doing just fine
Planned Parenthood is doing just fine
VERBATIM: According to a study by the American Life League, the nation’s largest abortion business continues to prosper despite repeal of Roe versus Wade, making about 450 million dollars a year in pro-life states alone. Planned Parenthood has raised a huge national hue and cry over pro-life laws and restrictions on its taxpayer funding. But the A.L.L. research indicates that the giant abortion provider is not likely to be going bankrupt any time in the near future. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadCOSTCO is staying out of the abortion business
COSTCO is staying out of the abortion business
A dispute over a parking space in upstate New York
A dispute over a parking space in upstate New York
VERBATIM: At Grand Island High School outside Buffalo, seniors who can drive can pay 50 dollars for a designated slot in the parking lot and are then allowed to put their name on it and decorate it. But the school said no when a Christian student wanted to put a cross on her space. She has since engaged the legal group First Liberty, which has sent a letter of warning to school officials. They claim if they allow the cross, they will have to allow Satanic symbols as well. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadA Florida ministry takes on dangerous video game platforms
A Florida ministry takes on dangerous video game platforms
VERBATIM: The Florida Faith Alliance is concerned about Roblox, Discord and other sites where children go to play games and might wind up in contact with a sexual predator. The Alliance has begun a series of classes to help teach moms and dads what the dangers are and how to keep their kids safe. Founder Lynn Barletta says “Parents, equipped with the right knowledge, become the frontline defense against predators.” MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadA warning from the attorney general of Louisiana
A warning from the attorney general of Louisiana
VERBATIM: Liz Murrill says Roblox, the children’s video gaming platform, is a haven for child predators. Roblox is immensely popular with young people and for that reason Murrill has filed suit against it, charging it with failing to establish even the most basic safety protocols for its customers. The AG says “Users can easily say they are younger or older than their actual age — allowing child predators to pose as children and for children to bypass any age requirement.” MH SRNN NEWS
Listen DownloadAmnesty International goes to bat for Christians in Libya
Amnesty International goes to bat for Christians in Libya
VERBATIM: The human rights organization says the recent trials of 11 believers were a sham and all of the defendants should be released immediately. The Christians were accused of various infractions, including criticizing Islam and trying to spread the gospel. Amnesty says “Prosecutors denied defendants the right to have a lawyer. They also denied the defendants access to police reports.” Libya is number four on Open Doors’ annual list of the world’s worst persecutors. MH SRN NEW
Listen DownloadResidents of Toronto have a message for the city government
Residents of Toronto have a message for the city government
A good news, bad news story about America’s religious institutions
A good news, bad news story about America’s religious institutions
VERBATIM: The GOOD news is that the confidence the general public has in the country’s churches is on the rise. 36% of Gallup Poll respondents say they have a great deal or a fair amount of faith in organized religion — up from 31% just three years ago. The BAD news is that 36% is awfully low — WAY down from the nearly 70% of Americans who had confidence in the church back in 1975. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadDrag queen bingo causes an uproar in New York
Drag queen bingo causes an uproar in New York
VERBATIM: Public outrage has led to the cancellation of a fundraiser by the Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester. The organization, which says its mission is to protect vulnerable kids from harm, had been planning to host a bingo night featuring a performance by a drag queen. When word got out the local community rebelled — some pointing out the strange irony of the Center putting on a show that experts say would actually harm children. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadMarriage is still an aspiration for a lot of Americans
Marriage is still an aspiration for a lot of Americans
A Texas woman sues an abortion pill provider
A Texas woman sues an abortion pill provider
VERBATIM: Liana Davis says the father of her unborn child caused her to have a miscarriage by slipping abortion pills into a hot beverage she was drinking without her knowledge. Her lawsuit states that the father “obtained these drugs from Aid Access, a criminal organization that illegally ships abortion pills into Texas and other jurisdictions where abortion has been outlawed.” A growing number of such cases are coming before U.S. courts as the pills become easier to get. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadA court upholds a transgender ban in Oklahoma
A court upholds a transgender ban in Oklahoma
VERBATIM: The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals says the state’s new law barring sex-change operations on children is NOT unconstitutional and may be enforced. Legal analysts say the decision was almost certainly influenced by this year’s Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for a similar statute in Tennessee to go into effect. A growing number of states are taking up legislation that would prevent kids from undergoing irreversible surgeries to help them live as the opposite sex. MH SRNNNEW
Listen DownloadWorld Vision wins a round in court
World Vision wins a round in court
VERBATIM: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the giant Christian relief agency has the right to refuse to hire a woman because she was in a same-sex marriage. The law allows religious organizations to hire and fire according to the dictates of their faith, but the woman took World Vision to court, arguing that it doesn’t qualify for an exemption because it is not a church. The justices disagreed, ruling that the plaintiff’s job involved “vital religious duties.” MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadChristian summer camps are ministering to kids in war torn Ukraine
Christian summer camps are ministering to kids in war torn Ukraine
VERBATIM: Officials with Mission Eurasia run the camps every year to give youngsters in the country and other places an opportunity to get away from their difficult lives and hear the gospel message. About 30,000 children from 14 nations are expected to participate before the end of this summer and the vast majority will be from Ukraine. Spokesman Sergei Rakhuba says “These camps are often the first time in months that children can feel safe, play freely, and hear a message of hope,” MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadThe Trump administration makes some changes to visa rules
The Trump administration makes some changes to visa rules
VERBATIM: Foreign athletes who are men living as women will NOT receive visas to enter the U.S. if they are coming here to compete against women. The action follows President Trump’s instructions to all federal agencies that they do what they can to protect women’s sports — especially with the World Cup Soccer Tournament and the Summer Olympic Games just around the corner. Numerous sports governing bodies are also banning men from women’s competitions. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadSome new findings about Americans who attend church
Some new findings about Americans who attend church
VERBATIM: The poll was conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, and it reveals that while most congregations offer on-line services, only about one-in-four people who regularly attend take advantage of that service. Everybody else wants to be there in person. The report also indicates that volunteering and giving have rebounded since the days of the pandemic, with 50% of churchgoers volunteering their time and talents at least once a month. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadA state athletic organization goes all-in on transgenderism
A state athletic organization goes all-in on transgenderism
VERBATIM: USA Fencing recently announced that it will not allow men to compete in the women’s division. But the Minnesota chapter didn’t like that and has responded by declaring that it will have NO divisions — all fencers, men and women — will have to compete against each other in one large OPEN category. Minnesota Fencing has released a statement criticizing USA Fencing’s transgender ban, and referring to the Minnesota Human Rights Act. MH SRNN NEWS
Listen DownloadPlanned Parenthood has left Louisiana
Planned Parenthood has left Louisiana
VERBATIM: The nation’s largest abortion business has closed its last two clinics in the predominantly pro-life state. Ben Clapper of Louisiana Right To Life tells LifeNews.com “When Planned Parenthood built their New Orleans facility, they intended it to become a mega-abortion center, aiming to perform nearly 3,000 abortions every year. But thanks to our united efforts, not a single abortion was ever performed there. Now, that facility is shutting down.” MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadAn Indiana music teacher will get his day in court
An Indiana music teacher will get his day in court
Runners are preparing to spread the pro-life message
Runners are preparing to spread the pro-life message
VERBATIM: From September 5th through October 25th small groups of people will run along public streets from coast to coast in the U.S. wearing shirts that proclaim the message “Remember The Unborn”. It’s the brainchild of Dr. Patrick Castle, the founder of Life Runners. Participants will run 5K legs beginning in California, New York, Texas and North Dakota and converging on a single point in the middle of the country, tracing a cross over the nation. MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadThe Trump administration makes a decision on IVF
The Trump administration makes a decision on IVF
VERBATIM: The Washington Post is reporting that the president is no longer planning to issue an executive order mandating that health insurance providers cover in vitro fertilization. The procedure is controversial amongst pro-life advocates as it often involves the destruction of human embryos. The Post says the administration still wants to make IVF widely available but has decided that an executive order is not the way to go. Congress could take up the issue if it wants to. MH SRNN NEWSW
Listen DownloadThere’s a problem with police training in Massachusetts
There’s a problem with police training in Massachusetts
VERBATIM: Moms for Liberty is a conservative organization that campaigns to get pornographic books out of the public schools. But the Massachusetts Police Training Committee has placed Moms for Liberty on a list of extremist groups that includes Antifa. According to documents obtained by the Daily Wire, the police training material states that group members “use parents’ rights as a vehicle to attack public education and make schools less welcoming for minority and LGBTQ+ students.” MH SRN NEWS
Listen DownloadReligious people are a minority in a growing number of nations
Religious people are a minority in a growing number of nations
VERBATIM: The vast majority of the global population follows some faith — mostly Christianity and Islam. But religiously unaffiliated people — those who are atheists, agnostics or adherents of no particular faith — are now the majority in 10 countries. China and North Korea are perhaps the most obvious ones on the list. But the unaffiliated are also a majority now in the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Uruguay, Japan, Vietnam, Macao and Hong Kong. MH SRN NEWS
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